Vampire Hunter D Game Sample - Playstation
21In the words of the immortal left hand: "Yummy! Feed me more."
Alrighty gang, here's the deal; Victor Interactive Software's obscure late 90s / early 2000s "Vampire Hunter D" is an anomaly that was not received very well when it was initially released. Based on the books and movies of the same name by the famed author, Hideyuki Kikuchi, the tale has been around since the early-mid 80s and garnered much praise for its detailed and macabre art (Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy fame was the primary illustrator for the novels) and gritty horror themes, selling the better half of 20 million books worldwide. I have fond memories of the original animated film when it aired on the SciFi Channel's "Saturday Anime" block when I was young, so I was keen on finding this game when it previewed in gaming mags of the day as one of those titles that wasn't very likely to get localized. Lo and behold, the game would get published about a year later by Jaleco, JVC Music Europe and Virgin Interactive as a tie-in to the second movie, "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" (which, in turn, is based on the third novel)!
As the only game currently based on the revered VHD, it takes some liberties and tries to condense events from Bloodlust and re-interpret events to segway into the game's setting, the Castle of Chaythe. Taking place waaaaay in the future in 12090 A.D., ten thousand years have passed since the "Final War" brought the history of the human race to its end and where vampires reigned supreme. However, humans have gradually become more resilient and resourceful after many long dark years, making a comeback against the vampires and driving them towards near-extinction. The setting merges medieval gothic fantasy with science and technology.
This game takes place during their "final hour" when the proliferation of bounty hunters arises who are tasked with seeking out and destroying the remaining vampires, and one bounty hunter in particular is unique amongst them... with pale skin, a beautiful figure and peak fighting prowess, "D" takes on an important mission to rescue a rich noble's daughter from the epicenter of vampiric prestige and her captor, a powerful vampire named Meier Link. He's not alone though, as rival bounty hunters like "The Marcus Brothers" are also seeking this bounty and other unknown perils await within. Taken at face value, it's a cool concept for a game and regularly draws comparisons to Capcom's "Resident Evil" series with its fixed-view pre-rendered backgrounds, 3D polygonal characters and tank controls... but what if I told you it was more similar to something else and actually predates it?
Indeed, VHD is similar to RE and functions somewhat as a survival horror game, but this is probably secondary to its action/adventure elements... and on that note, the game feels more like a precursor to Capcom's "Onimusha" series than Resident Evil. It has a strong emphasis on close-quarters combat, D moves quite swiftly within the confines of the tank structure (and can even strafe, toggle abilities and, most importantly, JUMP), the game has similar routine puzzles and menu management, and D can execute combos on top of using vampiric magic abilities and use his left hand to absorb enemies to gain power like a certain gauntlet! Heck, there's even the ability to lock on / off nearby enemies, block and a few segments where you control a secondary character! There are differences, of course, but both games started development around the same time (and Onimusha was originally planned for the original Playstation before moving development to the PS2) and VHD is fairly commendable as a PS1 action game in this space.
One feature that helps VHD stand out is the VP gauge which determines what kind of magic attacks D can do and rises when he's splashed with blood or takes blood pills and lowers when hurt or consumes human remedies. Another feature is being revived by your left hand upon death if you consume enough enemies and max out your magic gauge (this "revival" happens through plot in the original Onimusha). Lastly, the game has multiple endings (3). From the technical side of things, VHD looks and sounds mostly great, though the English version has the unfortunate side-effect of voices being cut short (they did not sync the timing with the length of the Japanese voice tracks), so make sure to cut on those subtitles. The game is mostly easy if you know what you're doing (there are three difficulty settings and you can save anywhere) but has niggling issues like most fixed-view pre-rendered games, though you get used to them. The controls are responsive with the ability to walk or run, with combating certain enemies being slightly clunky.
I think that, while not perfect, this game got a pretty bad wrap back in the day. On its own, it's a pretty good PS1 action game with a spooky veneer and even better for fans of VHD. This is roughly an hour of the game with a few demos. We need a modern attempt at a VHD game. Enjoy.